A heat exchanger, such as an air conditioner, is constructed by stacking a plurality of heat exchanger fins in which a plurality of through-holes have been formed to enable heat exchanger tubes to be inserted. Such heat exchanger fins are manufactured by a manufacturing apparatus for heat exchanger fins depicted in FIG. 14. The manufacturing apparatus for heat exchanger fins is equipped with an uncoiler 12 where a thin metal plate (or “metal strip”) 10 made of aluminum or the like has been wound into a coil. The metal strip 10 pulled out from the uncoiler 12 via pinch rollers 14 is inserted into an oil applying apparatus 16 where machining oil is applied onto the surface of the metal strip 10, and is then supplied to a mold apparatus 20 provided inside a press apparatus 18.
The mold apparatus 20 internally includes an upper mold die set 22 that is capable of up-down movement and a lower mold die set 24 that is static. A plurality of collar-equipped through-holes 11 (sometimes referred to simply as “through-holes” in this specification), where collars of a predetermined height are formed around through-holes that have been formed, are formed at predetermined intervals in a predetermined direction in the metal strip 10 that has passed the mold apparatus 20. After being conveyed a predetermined distance in the predetermined direction, the metal strip 10 is cut into predetermined lengths by a cutter 28 and is then stored in a stacker 28.
The press apparatus 18 is equipped with a feeder apparatus that intermittently conveys the metal strip 10 in which the plurality of through-holes 11 have been formed at predetermined intervals in the predetermined direction toward the cutter 26.
Conveying of the metal strip 10 by operation of the feeder apparatus will now be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. The feeder apparatus inserts feeder pins 68 into the through-holes 11 formed in the metal strip 10 from below and moves the feeder pins 68 in a feeding direction to convey the metal strip 10 in the conveying direction.
The metal strip 10 is placed on a reference plate 64. Slits 66 that extend over the range of movement of the feeder pins 68 are formed in the reference plate 64. The feeder pins 68 protrude upward from the slits 66.
The feeder pins 68 are provided so as to protrude upward on a pin block 56 that is capable of moving in the horizontal and up-down directions.
When the metal strip 10 is conveyed in the conveying direction, the pin block 56 is raised and the feeder pins 68 are inserted into the through-holes 11 of the metal strip 10 placed on the reference plate 64. The pin block 56 is then moved in the conveying direction. After the metal strip 10 has been moved to a predetermined position, the pin block 56 is lowered and the feeder pins 68 are withdrawn downward from the through-holes 11. After this, in a state where the feeder pins 68 are at a position that does not contact the metal strip 10, the pin block 56 moves in the opposite direction to the conveying direction (a “return direction”) to return to an initial position.
Next, the detailed construction and operation of a conventional feeder apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 19.
The feeder apparatus includes a reciprocating block 50 that moves reciprocally in the feeding direction and a moving block 54 that is provided above the reciprocating block 50. The moving block 54 is fixed to a shaft 60 that is suspended so as to be movable in the same direction as the direction of movement of the reciprocating block 50 between two fixed members 82a, 82b that are fixed opposite one another near both end portions of the reciprocating block 50. This means that the moving block 54 is capable of moving together with the shaft 60 in the direction of movement of the reciprocating block 50.
The pin block 56 that holds the feeder pins 68 has two plates 56a, 56b that are provided above the moving block 54 and are disposed above and below one another. The pin block 56 is attached so that the plurality of feeder pins 68 are sandwiched between the plates 56a, 56b. 
The pin block 56 is energized downward (toward the moving block 54) by energizing means such as a spring, not depicted. This means that the pin block 56 is capable of moving together with the moving block 54 and when an upward force acts upon the pin block 56 against the energizing force of the energizing means, the pin block 56 is raised toward the reference plate 64.
An upper-lower cam portion 80 is provided between the moving block 54 and the pin block 56. The upper-lower cam portion 80 is composed of an upper cam portion 76 that is fixed to the pin block 56 and a lower cam portion 78 provided on the moving block 54. Concave and convex portions are formed on respective opposing surfaces of the upper cam portion 76 and the lower cam portion 78.
The lower cam portion 78 is formed on an upper surface of a wide member 78a that is wider than the moving block 54 and is placed on the moving block 54 positioned between the fixed members 82a, 82b. The wide member 78a is formed with a suitable size so as to protrude out from both ends in the conveying direction beyond the moving block 54 and the pin block 56.
The concaves and convexes of the upper cam portion 76 are formed in a surface that is opposite the lower cam portion 78 of the wide member 78a. 
The wide member 78a is capable of sliding above the moving block 54 with such movement of the wide member 78a being restricted by the fixed members 82a, 82b. That is, when the wide member 78a slides in the conveying direction, the conveying direction-side end portion of the wide member 78a contacts an inner wall surface of the fixed member 82b and when the wide member 78a slides in the opposite direction to the conveying direction, the end portion of the wide member 78a at the opposite end to the conveying direction of the metal strip 10 contacts an inner wall surface of the fixed member 82a. 
As depicted in FIG. 19, when the conveying direction-side end portion of the wide member 78a contacts the fixed member 82b, the convexes respectively formed on the upper cam portion 76 and the lower cam portion 78 contact one another. This means that the pin block 56 is pressed upward against the energizing force of the energizing means and the front end portions of the feeder pins 68, 68 provided on the pin block 56 are inserted into the through-holes 11 of the metal strip 10 placed on the reference plate 64.
On the other hand, as depicted in FIGS. 17 and 18, when the wide member 78a slides in the conveying direction (i.e., toward the fixed member 82b) and the other end of the wide member 78a contacts the fixed member 82a, the convexes and concaves formed in the upper cam portion 76 and the lower cam portion 78 fit together. This means that the pin block 56 is pressed against the moving block 54 by the energizing force of the energizing means and the front end portions of the feeder pins 68, 68, . . . of the pin block 56 are withdrawn from the through-holes 11 of the metal strip 10 placed on the reference plate 64.
In this feeder apparatus for the metal strip 10, the metal strip 10 placed on the reference plate 64 is conveyed in the direction of the fixed block 52b, with positioning pins 84 for positioning the metal strip 10 at such position after conveying also being provided. The positioning pins 84 are provided so as to protrude upward from the fixed block 52b. The positioning pins 84 are moved up and down by a positioning cam portion 86 provided on the fixed block 52b. 
The positioning cam portion 86 is composed of an upper cam portion 86a and a lower cam portion 86b that have convexes and concaves formed on respective opposing surfaces thereof that oppose one another, and the lower cam portion 86b is formed on a wide member 87 that is formed wider than the fixed block 52b and is capable of sliding.
When the lower cam portion 86b slides in the direction where the convexes of both cam portions become joined, the front end portions of the positioning pins 84 protrude above the reference plate 64 and are inserted inside through-holes 11 of the metal strip 10 placed on the reference plate 64, thereby positioning the metal strip 10.
On the other hand, when the lower cam portion 86b slides in a direction where the convexes and concaves of the cam portions fit together, the front end portions of the positioning pins 84 become positioned below the reference surface of the reference plate 64 and are withdrawn from the collar-equipped through-holes 11 of the metal strip 10 placed on the reference plate 64, thereby releasing the positioning of the metal strip 10.
The wide member 87 of the lower cam portion 86b is connected by a shaft 90 to a slide member 88 that is slidably inserted into a fixed block 52a that is opposite the fixed block 52b. The shaft 90 is disposed so as to extend between the two fixed blocks 52a, 52b disposed opposite one another along the conveying direction. The shaft 90 is disposed so as to pass through the reciprocating block 50 and is provided so as to not obstruct movement of the reciprocating block 50.
When the reciprocating block 50 has moved in the conveying direction, since the movement direction-side end portion of the reciprocating block 50 presses an end portion of the wide member 87 of the lower cam portion 86b, the lower cam portion 86b slides in a direction so that the convexes of the cam portions 86a and 86b become joined. When the reciprocating block 50 has moved in the opposite direction to the conveying direction, since the end portion of the reciprocating block 50 on the opposite side to the conveying direction presses an end portion of the slide member 88 provided on the opposite side of the shaft 90 to the side where the wide member 87 is provided, the lower cam portion 86b slides in a direction so that the concaves and convexes of the cam portions 86a and 86b fit together.
A movement operation of the moving block will now be described with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21. The moving block 54 is held in a center of the reciprocating block 50 by a spring, not depicted. Holding means 92 that reliably holds the moving block 54 at a predetermined position on the reciprocating block 50 is provided on the reciprocating block 50 so as to protrude from the reciprocating block 50. The holding means 92 has a pin member 98 that protrudes from the reciprocating block 50 toward the moving block 54 and whose front end portion engages the moving block 54. The holding means 98 is constructed so as to be capable of holding and releasing the moving block 54 in accordance with movement of the reciprocating block 50. Wheels 97 that rotate along the conveying direction are provided at a bottom end portion of the holding means 98 and the wheels 97 are constantly energized downward by an energizing means 95.
A cam member 96 with a trapezoidal portion that protrudes upward is disposed below the reciprocating block 50. A bottom end portion of the pin member 98 where the wheels 97 are provided contacts the surface of the cam member 96 due to the energizing force of the energizing means 95.
When the wheels 97 are positioned on the trapezoidal portion of the cam member 96, the front end portion of the pin member 98 is raised and is inserted into the concave of the moving block 54 so that the holding means 98 and the moving block 54 become engaged. After this, the holding means 92 can then reliably hold the moving block 54 at a predetermined position on the reciprocating block 50.
On the other hand, when the movement of the moving block 54 reaches a position near the final end, the wheels become positioned lower than the trapezoidal portion of the cam member 96 and the front end portion of the pin member 98 is withdrawn from the concave of the moving block 54, thereby releasing the engagement of the pin member 98 and the moving block 54.